Trick 1:
Use notepad++

http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Its a nice text editor, and it add itself to the right-click in windows, so you can open appropriate files with it very easily without changing your default editor.

Trick 2:
First, I just wanted to put everything onto a new line. I took the easy way. Press ctrl+H for Replace, or click Replace in search. Click on the option for “Regular Expressions”. Then, in the Search, put “><" and in the replace, put ">/n<"

Tada!

That still doesn't help the indenting however, so I abandoned this approach.

Trick 3:
This is the best one. In notepad++, click Plugins -> Plugin Manager -> Show Plugin Manager. Scroll down and install “XML Tools”.

Once this is installed, select all on your text that you want to format, then click Plugins -> XML Tools -> Pretty Print (XML Only with Line Breaks)

Ahhh yes, this is what I wanted all along! Hope it helped!

-Kevin

Welcome to the shiny new blog!  I have decided to embrace my developer spirit and break free of the bonds of WordPress.com, and begin to maintain and hold my own data, rarrr!  In light of this, I am slightly modifying the most popular post of all time, the ViewSwitcher.

For far too long, the ViewSwitcher has eluded many people. It can be conceptually hard to tackle, as you still are only using one Activity, but you can essentially have 2 different layouts.

Why would you want to do this? Previously, I had used to ViewSwitcher to switch from a loading screen to the loaded screen. Since then, I have used the ViewSwitcher a few more times, but under different circumstances. I’ve also even found more switchers that I never even realized existed.

With this new example, I will reintroduce the ViewSwitcher, as well as a TextSwitcher, and an ImageSwitcher! O boy….

This is a one activity program, the entire activity is below. All fairly standard variable declaration and initialization, grabbing the ID from the id we give it in the xml file later.

One thing I have learned, is that if you don’t need global access to your buttons, don’t declare them globally! As you see in this example, the switchers are global, but the button is a local variable! Once applications get bigger, making these local declarations makes a smaller footprint for your application.

public class ViewSwitcherActivity extends Activity {

	ViewSwitcher mViewSwitcher;
	TextSwitcher mTextSwitcher;
	ImageSwitcher mImageSwitcher;

	@Override
	public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
		super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
		setContentView(R.layout.main);

		mViewSwitcher = (ViewSwitcher) findViewById(R.id.viewswitcher);
		mTextSwitcher = (TextSwitcher) findViewById(R.id.textswitcher);
		mImageSwitcher = (ImageSwitcher) findViewById(R.id.imageswitcher);

		Button button = (Button) findViewById(R.id.button);
		button.setOnClickListener(new OnClickListener() {
			@Override
			public void onClick(View v) {
				mViewSwitcher.showNext();
				mTextSwitcher.showNext();
				mImageSwitcher.showNext();
			}
		});
	}
}

Here, you can see the layout of the main.xml file. Each switcher can have a MAXIMUM of 2 parent views. You can try to add a 3rd, and you will see your program crash. That doesn’t mean you can’t have more than two views, it just means there can only be 2 parents, eg: 1 linear layout and 1 relative layout, and they can be filled with as many views as you’d like.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    android:layout_height="fill_parent">
    
    <Button
    	android:id="@+id/button"
    	android:text="Switch the view!"
    	android:layout_width="fill_parent"
    	android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
    
    <ViewSwitcher 
    	android:id="@+id/viewswitcher"
    	android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    	android:layout_height="wrap_content">
    	
    	<TextView 
    		android:text="This is the 1st view!"
    		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>	
    	
    	<TextView 
    		android:text="This is the 2nd view!"
    	    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>		
    </ViewSwitcher>
    
    <TextSwitcher
    	android:id="@+id/textswitcher"
    	android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    	android:layout_height="wrap_content">
    	
    	<TextView 
    		android:text="This is the 1st view!"
    		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>	
    	
    	<TextView 
    		android:text="This is the 2nd view!"
    	    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>	
    	</TextSwitcher>
    
    <ImageSwitcher
    	android:id="@+id/imageswitcher"
    	android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    	android:layout_height="wrap_content">
    		
		<ImageView
    		android:src="@drawable/icon_green"
    		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
    		
		<ImageView
    		android:src="@drawable/icon_blue"
    		android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    		android:layout_height="wrap_content"/>
    		
	</ImageSwitcher>
    	
</LinearLayout>

Here are the 2 icon resources used in the demonstration

And that’s it! I hope you guys have enjoyed this little revisit of a classic post! Download the source below, post your comments!

-Kevin

Pizza box chassis

The top is a screenshot of a document from work outlining different chassis sizes and their byte value to set for programming. I thought it was a joke because engineers have the weirdest joke. The bottom is a picture of an actual pizza box computer. And it’s running Linux. *shudders* I’m not surprised though. Needs moar bell peppers.

We’ve discussed different ways to format a string using printf for C++ and string.format for Java/Android and since I’ve been working with C# recently I would add that to the blog as well.

In C#, it’s just like Java/Android: use string.Format(). Instead of dollar signs, you would use curly brackets with the parameter number. What’s nice is that you don’t really need to worry about the type. For example:

int foo = 9000;
string bar = "sparta";

string fubar = string.Format("This is {0}! It is over {1}!", bar, foo);

Would result with:

This is sparta! It is over 9000!"

See how I didn’t need to tell it {0} was a string and {1} was an integer? You can also add the format inside the curly bracket if you wish such as:

{index,length:formatString}

Where index is the index of the value to use; length is the amount of spaces you want this variable to take up; and formatString is a standard or custom string that can be used to do more formatting (such as setting up a date in US or EU format).

As usual, if you’d like to know more about the details, visit MSDN for more reading.

A simple code snippet I found over at http://www.androidsnippets.com/, shows how to create a dialog box with an EditText in it. I needed it to save a user’s login name into the preferences when first starting a program, but it pretty much has a limitless amount of uses.

Try playing around with setting different types of views to your dialog boxes. You’ll be surprised! Combine this with the techniques used in the AddContentView example and you can start adding some really unique layouts and stylings to your dialogs.

AlertDialog.Builder alert = new AlertDialog.Builder(this);

alert.setTitle("Title");
alert.setMessage("Message");

// Set an EditText view to get user input
final EditText input = new EditText(this);
alert.setView(input);

alert.setPositiveButton("Ok", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int whichButton) {
  String value = input.getText();
  // Do something with value!
  }
});

alert.setNegativeButton("Cancel", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {
  public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int whichButton) {
    // Canceled.
  }
});

alert.show();

-Kevin Grant

This week I’ve re-acquainted myself with Linux at work in order to port an app from Windows to Linux. Besides the aggravation of setting up the OS, IDE, and workflow, I had to use a 3rd party library called Crypto++. Well, it wasn’t obvious to set up or figure out so I’d put this out there in case someone has the same problem.

Basically I was able to include the files, but I got a linker error despite including the files in the project file in Qt. This is the error:

g++ -o encrypter -L/usr/lib -Lcryptopp -lcrypto++ -lQtGui -lQtCore -lpthread
encrypter.o: In function `CryptoPP::AllocatorWithCleanup::allocate(unsigned int, void const*)':
encrypter.cpp:(.text._ZN8CryptoPP20AllocatorWithCleanupIhLb1EE8allocateEjPKv[CryptoPP::AllocatorWithCleanup::allocate(unsigned int, void const*)]+0x2b): undefined reference to `CryptoPP::AlignedAllocate(unsigned int)'
encrypter.cpp:(.text._ZN8CryptoPP20AllocatorWithCleanupIhLb1EE8allocateEjPKv[CryptoPP::AllocatorWithCleanup::allocate(unsigned int, void const*)]+0x38): undefined reference to `CryptoPP::UnalignedAllocate(unsigned int)'
encrypter.o: In function `CryptoPP::AllocatorWithCleanup::deallocate(void*, unsigned int)':
encrypter.cpp:(.text._ZN8CryptoPP20AllocatorWithCleanupIhLb1EE10deallocateEPvj[CryptoPP::AllocatorWithCleanup::deallocate(void*, unsigned int)]+0x25): undefined reference to `CryptoPP::AlignedDeallocate(void*)'
encrypter.cpp:(.text._ZN8CryptoPP20AllocatorWithCleanupIhLb1EE10deallocateEPvj[CryptoPP::AllocatorWithCleanup::deallocate(void*, unsigned int)]+0x32): undefined reference to `CryptoPP::UnalignedDeallocate(void*)'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make: Leaving directory `/home/alex/projects/encrypter'
make: *** [encrypter] Error 1
Exited with code 2.
Error while building project encrypter
When executing build step 'Make'

The proper way to include crypto++ is NOT to download it from the website. Use terminal to get the library:

sudo apt-get install libcrypto++8 libcrypto++8-dbg libcrypto++-dev

Then check if installed on system:

apt-cache pkgnames | grep -i crypto++

Which should result with:

libcrypto++-utils
libcrypto++8
libcrypto++8-dbg
libcrypto++-dev
libcrypto++-doc

If the information above is different (which is possible if it becomes out of date), check the Crypto++ Linux wiki for instructions.

Now add the library to project with the following linkage (written as a makefile macro, but just put the -L and -I parts in the command line if you’re compiling manually):

LIBS += -L/usr/lib/crypto++ -lcrypto++
INCS += -I/usr/include/crypto++

While is is rather specific, someone out there is probably searching for this so here ya go!

I’ve been wanting to learn C# for a while so I finally started learning it a few weeks ago. I lightly touched C# back in the fall of 2009. We had a quick crash course trying to get a XNA game working thinking that was the best way to make a game in two weeks. That was a very terrible learning situation and I haven’t thought much about C# since then. Once I decided to take a shot at it again, I was definitely a lot wiser than I was 1.5 years ago. Now that I’ve got some good C++ programming, MFC UI development, and Visual Studio usage skills down, jumping into C# was not as hard as it was when I first came across it. Actually, working with C# in Visual Studio is so much easier than C++ and MFC that I feel like I’ve been converted to a new religion. Seriously, how did I live without this all my programming life?! String conversions, getting file paths/names/extensions, and capturing events are just one call away instead of some hackjob conversion and string parsing! C++ and MFC is like driving a Volvo 240: solid, reliable, and old, but hard to work on and possibly relies on hackjob repairs to make things work. C# with .NET is like a brand new Volvo S60: new, easy to use (from the driver’s seat), and safe with all the electro-nannies, but it’s a lot more complicated under the hood, but you’re not likely to go that deep anyways. I followed the tutorial at Home and Learn and got a nice primer on C#. The tutorials are very easy to read and understand so I recommend checking it out if you’re a beginner. It’s nice that Microsoft offers Visual Studio Express for free to play around with also. Get Visual Studio Express and start making some programs!

At phamous-apps, we’re shameless fans of the royal wedding, and in lieu of this, we’re giving you another precious gem for your application arsenal. We present to you…

Prince William: Put a ring on it!

A simple mini-game where you can put a ring on Prince Williams finger. Description from the marketplace

The Royal Wedding is soon, and Prince William is refusing to wear his ring. Kate Middleton seems ok with it, but we all know that shes not!
In this minigame, “Put a Ring On it!” you need to put as many rings on the Prince’s hand as possible! Rack up a high score, let him know that you want that ring on there!

There seem to be some problems if you have a ridiculously large screen where the hand moves too fast, but just think of it as “expert mode” and you’ll be fine, until we can fix it anyways

I’ve been looking for this for some personal projects today. After a few hours of research and testing on 3/29/2011, my definitive answer is no.

There remains an unanswered comment on the official blog post about it here from December, and when using the latest 2.3.3 Google APIs in the SDK, I still receive tile based maps. I have also found numerous unanswered questions from stackoverflow and other QA sites to back up my statement that it is currently unavailable.

I will update this post when the Maps 5.0 API becomes updated, or if anyone hears otherwise before I do, please comment!

Searching through the documents on my hard drive this weekend I came across a document containing the joke of how to shoot yourself in the foot in any programming language. Well, not literally, but it does relate how the different languages behave by using the analogy of shooting one’s self in the foot. I forgot where I found this so if someone knows, post the link in the comments!

* * *

How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot in Any Programming Language

The proliferation of modern programming languages (all of which seem to have stolen countless features from one another) sometimes makes it difficult to remember what language you’re currently using. This guide is offered as a public service to help programmers who find themselves in such dilemmas.

C
You shoot yourself in the foot.

C++
You accidentally create a dozen clones of yourself and shoot them all in the foot. Providing emergency medical assistance is impossible since you can’t tell which are bitwise copies and which are just pointing at others and saying, “That’s me, over there.”

JAVA
After importing java.awt.right.foot.* and java.awt.gun.right.hand.*, and writing the classes and methods of those classes needed, you’ve forgotten what the hell you’re doing.

Ruby
Your foot is ready to be shot in roughly five minutes, but you just can’t find anywhere to shoot it.

PHP
You shoot yourself in the foot with a gun made with pieces from 300 other guns.

ASP.NET
Find a gun, it falls apart. Put it back together, it falls apart again. You try using the .GUN Framework, it falls apart. You stab yourself in the foot instead.

SQL
SELECT @ammo:=bullet FROM gun WHERE trigger = ‘PULLED’;
INSERT INTO leg (foot) VALUES (@ammo);

Perl
You shoot yourself in the foot, but nobody can understand how you did it. Six months later, neither can you.

Javascript
You’ve perfected a robust, rich user experience for shooting yourself in the foot. You then find that bullets are disabled on your gun.

CSS
You shoot your right foot with one hand, then switch hands to shoot your left foot but you realize that the gun has turned into a banana.

FORTRAN
You shoot yourself in each toe, iteratively, until you run out of toes, then you read in the next foot and repeat. If you run out of bullets, you continue anyway because you have no exception-handling ability.

Modula2
After realizing that you can’t actually accomplish anything in this language, you shoot yourself in the head.

COBOL
Using a COLT 45 HANDGUN, AIM gun at LEG.FOOT, THEN place ARM.HAND.FINGER. on HANDGUN.TRIGGER and SQUEEZE. THEN return HANDGUN to HOLSTER. CHECK whether shoelace needs to be retied.

LISP
You shoot yourself in the appendage which holds the gun with which
you shoot yourself in the appendage which holds the gun with which
you shoot yourself in the appendage which holds the gun with which
you shoot yourself in the appendage which holds the gun with which
you shoot yourself in the appendage which holds ….

BASIC
Shoot yourself in the foot with a water pistol. On big systems, continue until entire lower body is waterlogged.

FORTH
Foot in yourself shoot.

APL
You shoot yourself in the foot, then spend all day figuring out how to do it in fewer characters.

Pascal
The compiler won’t let you shoot yourself in the foot.

SNOBOL
If you succeed, shoot yourself in the left foot.
If you fail, shoot yourself in the right foot.

Concurrent Euclid
You shoot yourself in somebody else’s foot.

HyperTalk
Put the first bullet of the gun into the foot of the left leg of you.
Answer the result.

Motif
You spend days writing a UIL description of your foot, the trajectory, the bullet, and the intricate scrollwork on the ivory handles of the gun. When you finally get around to pulling the trigger, the gun jams.

Unix
% ls
foot.c foot.h foot.o toe.c toe.o
% rm * .o
rm: .o: No such file or directory
% ls
%

Paradox
Not only can you shoot yourself in the foot, your users can too.

Revelation
You’ll be able to shoot yourself in the foot just as soon as you figure out what all these bullets are for.

Visual Basic
You’ll shoot yourself in the foot, but you’ll have so much fun doing it that you won’t care.

Prolog
You tell your program you want to be shot in the foot. The program figures out how to do it, but the syntax doesn’t allow it to explain.

Ada
After correctly packaging your foot, you attempt to concurrently load the gun, pull the trigger, scream and shoot yourself in the foot. When you try, however, you discover that your foot is of the wrong type.

Assembly
You try to shoot yourself in the foot only to discover you must first reinvent the gun, the bullet, and your foot. After that’s done, you pull the trigger, the gun beeps several times, then crashes.

370 JCL
You send your foot down to MIS with a 4000-page document explaining how you want it to be shot. Three years later, your foot comes back deep-fried.

Python
You try to shoot yourself in the foot but you just keep hitting the whitespace between your toes.